Review: Shifting Currents (Mermen & Magic #4) by L.M. Brown

Can a merman and an Atlantean, separated by centuries and prejudices, find love together?

Merman Delwyn is an Oracle of the past. He loves nothing better than observing the comings and goings of those who lived centuries before he was born. His favourite time period to visit is the days when both Atlantean and mer inhabited the sunken city of Atlantis, and his guilty pleasure is watching lovers come together in passion. Secure in the knowledge that no one can see him when he’s viewing the past, nothing can prepare Delwyn for the moment Fabian, an Atlantean living in the past, speaks to him.

Fabian is a man with divided loyalties. The demi-god son of the Goddess of Sea Creatures has sworn to serve the Goddess of Prophecy as her Oracle of the present. His unique status gives him the power to see anything in the present, including the mysterious merman voyeur from the distant future.

Despite the centuries that separate them, Delwyn and Fabian find they have a lot in common and quickly form a friendship that both hope one day will become something more. But before they can be together in the present, Delwyn and Fabian must unravel the mysteries of the past.

Only time will tell if the truth about the long-since vanished Atlanteans will bring them together or tear them apart, as the battle for the sunken city of Atlantis begins.

Rated 3.9 Hearts

Shifting Currents is the fourth book in the urban fantasy/paranormal series, Mermen & Magic. And though each book features a new couple, they're not standalone. You must read in order.

And finally we get to travel back in time when Atlantis was newly sunk and the Atlanteans and mer lived together in the sunken city. And in Dangerous Waves (#3), oracle of the past, Delwyn was told his love was already in Atlantis. He's searching very hard despite being contained to underwater city and being blind.

The silver fin virgin is the youngest of the oracles an the most romantic. It was apparent in previous books and finally fully blossomed in book #4. Delwyn is attracted to a ginger haired demigod/ oracle of the present, by the name of Fabian. Normally no one can notice Delwyn when he watches the events of the past. Somehow, Fabian does. And he can talk to Delwyn. Both are intrigued with the other. Other than conversation, Fabian and Delwyn couldn't physically touch. Their courtship was very unconventional but nothing will stand in the way for soul mates.

That's right fated mates. (Squee)

For the first half of the book, this was getting close to 5 Hearts for me. The mystery, the mates and their hardship of having many centuries separating them, finally getting to bottom of the Atlantean day. It was a lot of information to go through. And I was very happy.

This series is something like paranormal brain candy. It reminds of reading early Sherrilyn Kenyon from book #1 and it's still consistent to the latest. It's sort of light, sort of simple but the magic works.

Delwyn is endearing because he's this big heart searching for his happy ever after. Fabian is sexual Atlantean and how Delwyn firsts meet Fabian is hot. (Note: Fabian does have sex with another but Delwyn doesn't mind...it already happened. Plus, he has a voyeuristic streak).

We get a lot more action compared to the previous books.

The sea dragons finally get fully explained! We get to read the time when the Atlantean gods were in charge. When the story remains in present day, about 55-60%, the strong set up suffered a little from the slower pace. And the romance takes a backseat, so by the time I got to the end, I thought there was going to be more.

My overall rating is 3.9 Hearts. That's right, I'm rating this 3.9 Hearts. (It could have easily been my favorite of the series, the second half matched the first)

Once the start of the war happens, the action and the pace drags a little. The author makes sure to explain the entire scene, where I felt it could have been summarized a bit. With the romance removed from the driver's seat, the impact wasn't as strong as I think it could've been.

In L.M. Brown's Atlantis and merfolk world, the mer are sexual beings. They have mating seasons which coincide with the two solstices. The mer must have sex and release their triggers or they'll have physical pain the longer they go without. And the mer have different triggers to orgasm, like bottoming or penetration, or spanking.

Delwyn is a virgin in Shifting Currents and hasn't explored sexually. So we the readers never find out other than Delwyn isn't interested in being penetrated. I'm happy the author kept to his feelings and didn't write a gratuitous sex scene. Is there penetrative sex? Between the MC's: no. The sexual scenes are limited.

Due to a little thing about being born at different periods of time and setting up the war between the deities that hate the mer and the allies, the book spends more time on the mystery of that day. The impossibility of the two oracles being together in the same time helped pushed this plot. Though I still have questions about that day. I need a definitive reason why. We get to learn who cared for the Atlanteans and who were against them. But why exactly were they banished? What's up with Mariana's hatred? Where does it stem from?

The author went deeper this time in the wonderful mythological world created. And we learn more about Caspian. I CAN'T WAIT FOR HIS BOOK ALREADY! *cough* So I'm sorta satisfied but I want deeper, more explanation on actions made. #greedy.

Do I recommend this series? Well, I've read the entire series so far and have no plans to get off the Mermen & Magic train - so yes. I think this would work best for readers who don't mind lighter simpler paranormal themes.

Shifting Currents does end with a HEA (not without major sacrifices). I'm curious as to what's in store for the future because Atlantis and the current state felt unfinished.

Review: Dangerous Waves (Mermen & Magic #3) by L.M. Brown

A blind merman fleeing the sunken city of Atlantis is torn between the family he left behind and the love he swims toward.

When Dax lost his family to a shark attack he swam away from everything he had ever known. Now he has come to Atlantis, hoping to reconnect with those he left behind. When he finds his birth clan torn apart, he realizes his journey is just beginning.

Kai is an Oracle, a blind merman, who only has sight when he has a vision. Atlantis, a sanctuary for so many mer people, is his prison. Desperation drives him to beg the Atlantean Goddess of Love for help.

With the goddess's promise of love to tempt him, Kai persuades Dax to take him along when he leaves the sunken city.

Although Dax has some reservations about traveling through the ocean with a blind merman in tow, he quickly discovers Kai isn't as helpless as he appears. Attraction comes easy, but Kai doesn't seem to feel the same way.

Kai knows he must seduce Dax if he hopes to win his heart, but his inexperience may be his downfall. With Dax's former lover at the end of their journey, he knows time is running out.

A goddess can only help so much, especially when another immortal would see them part. If the two stubborn mermen want a life together, they will have to learn to communicate and fight for their love.

Back again for L.M. Brown's mermen!

(You know if I return to a series more than once, I've been hooked)

The last 2016 review on the blog is all about the fantasy. (Hey, this is me we're talking about-it's a fave genre)

L.M. Brown has created quite the world in the Merman & Magic series--readers visit the sunken island of Atlantis, inhabited with merfolk and sea creatures. Plus there's mythology thrown in with an interesting cast of god/goddess side characters that add a sense of magical instability in the tales. The gods are awakening from their stasis...the world doesn't know what it's in for.

In the third installment, Dangerous Waves, the prophetic Oracle mer family are the focus as well as Dax was the ex-lover from book #1. The Oracles are a group of three merfolk who are blind due to their psychic-like abilities. They are blinded once their get their powers at puberty, meaning they are virgins and must remain untouched. Kai, the Oracle of the present and protagonist, longs for a love to call his own, even though it's forbidden. He calls for help from the meddling goddess of love, Medina.

If you've been following along in the series (and I strongly suggest reading in order), then you know mer people are highly sexual. The Oracles aren't allowed any freedoms, basically prisoners in the kingdom of Atlantis. Enter the highly sexual Dax, the former lover of book #1's Kyle. Dax starts the book as the third in a temporary menage, a loner among yet another nomadic tribe that wants to move to Atlantis for stability.

Medina sense Dax's and Kai's fate and meddles in the only way she knows how.

It's hyper sexual vs. virginity, Dax and Kai couldn't be more different experience wise. But their chemistry is electric.

I like the route the author took with these two. It wasn't automatic jumping of bones, no sexy times happen until the last quarter of the book. The men get to know each other through a ocean road trip. Kai finally gets to experience life while traveling to England to help Dax check in on his former lover.

On the road, the two start opening up and learning about a common theme they seem to share, loners. But Dax thinks with his cock (that hasn't changed since book 1) and any time I fins myself liking him, he'd remember to be the jerk from book #1. He viewed sex as sex, Kai was a romantic. warning there is a sex scene with a MC and another person. That didn't piss me off. It wasn't cheating, but usually that's first third behavior of a novel, not so late in the game as the MC's start to get closer. I liked it. It remained true to his character.

It didn't read like insta-love, though the romantic aspect read short when coming to the romantic aspect. It took one of the men a little longer to realize his feelings. I felt it could have been played up just a little more for him.

Why this isn't 5 Hearts The goddess Medina seemed to be a main player in the beginning and them quiets (when hinted to being super powerful) and then shows up to not make much of an impact. The gods awakening is another larger series ARC but compared to the last two books, Dangerous Waves was weaker. We get to meet 2 new gods, add to Medina and series mainstays, Cari & Caspian, it's starting to get crowded. There are hints of conflicts to come, but it'd be nice if they were a little more defined. And the big conflict in the end? It was solved by a different being instead off the one who went to help. Something about the entire thing read anticlimactic.

Overall, a fun read.

There's opposites attract, mythology and magical hijinks. Plus, I'm enjoying the characters. I can't wait to read about Delwyn (Oracle of the past) in the future.

Not my fave pairing of the partnerships...but close.

If you're looking for a lighter urban fantasy series to try, I recommend giving the Mermen & Magic series a try.

Find on Goodreads!

Interested in learning more about the series?

Review of Book #1
Review of Book #2

Review: Tempestuous Tides (Mermen & Magic #2) by L.M. Brown

Bound by a curse, two mermen find the greatest love of their lives, but can they keep it?

Justin is a merman who has been raised on land. He hates his fins and wants nothing to do with his heritage.

Lucas is an ambitious merman who has lived his whole life in Atlantis. He has spent his adulthood hiding his sexuality because homosexual relationships are forbidden in the underwater city. Now he has been sent on a mission by King Nereus to locate his oldest son and bring him back to Atlantis to take his place as the heir to the throne.

Although his mission seems impossible, Lucas finds help from the Atlantean Goddess of Love, little knowing that she has her own reasons for bringing Lucas and Justin together.

Justin is no stranger to immortals, having been raised by two of them, but he has no idea of the consequences of angering the Goddess of Love. When he insults her, she curses him to find love only to lose it forever shortly after. As the love ‘em and leave ‘em type, Justin isn’t overly concerned, at least until Lucas enters his life and he sees how the curse will end.

Together they could have the greatest love of their lives, but only if they can appease the furious goddess before their time runs out.

Strong mermen sequel from L.M. Brown!

Tempestuous Tides is book #2 in L.M. Brown's Mermen & Magic series. I don't think it's necessary to read the series in order to follow along BUT I'd suggest reading in order. Either book could be standalone.

New mermen! More mythology! More magic! And a race against a ticking clock to save the one you love.

The story is an entertaining read: easy to read and follow nearly all plot twists. The story starts with dual timelines - Lucas, a junior adviser to the Atlantean king Nereus is closeted and can't let anyone find out about his homosexuality. He has to stave off the pesky mating heat by either abstaining which causes pain or be used by whoever will set off his mating trigger. While Justin is an merman orphan raised by immortals and wants nothing to do with his merman heritage in present day Britain. The two men meet up thanks to a decree from king Nereus, Justin's dad. Before they meet, the interfering Atlantean gods push their nose in Justin's business, invoking a curse that could make or break them before they begin.

I really enjoyed reading the follow up on the Atlantean gods, Caspian and his sister Cari. Finally we get to learn about Caspian's powers. And we get more of meddling Medina,the goddess of love and lust. For this book, neither merman seemed as awed by the gods as in the first book. I think I liked that aspect. The story uses a couple of themes - being raised in paranormal vs. normal worlds, closeted vs. out of the closet (and not trying to go back in) and a commitment-phobe falling in love. There was a decent amount of lightness and some humor to help move the story along, even with the ominous curse looming like a grey cloud over Justin and Lucas' heads and making their relationship seem based on magic only.

It's not.

Reading Lucas first meet Justin and how they get together was fun. They didn't jump right into the sack on first meeting (despite magic trying to get one up on them). This story is sexy. But there definitely is plot too. No PWP here. I liked the couple in England slightly more then in Atlantis.

Let's talk about the sex because a few scenes hit my buttons. All of the erotic delights were even more fun to read. Can we say exhibition? Or voyeurism? Or aquarium sex?

The book kept the sex interesting. Neither man has any issues in the bedroom department when it comes to chemistry (though toward the end, a certain mer's constant begging of the same thing was starting to become one note)

There were a couple of quibbles for me: there were a few parts that could have been shaved - it read slight stretched in parts. I think the length of the novel was good, just wished a few areas were developed more:

Otus and his outcome - it seemed it was building steam once remembered in Atlantis and then we get this anticlimactic scene. He read vindictive...I expected more.

Jake, Finn and Kyle - our starring trio from Forbidden Waters, book #1. Now they are the secondary characters in this book. I think they weren't used to their advantage. Some parts were missed (ex. Finn grew up in Atlantis - he never remarked on Justin's face the way Lucas did first time meeting him), Finn and Kyle felt like they barely touched the surface in Lucas' acclimation. It was such a big part in book #1 and endeared me to the characters. It got glossed over here with Lucas.

The last 15% or so - the ending was good. There is a HEA. But...the main character's had a tendency to say they weren't going to do A)...then once confronted, they'd give in. I guess it can boil down to lovers' spats but, it either was a little too much or could have been developed more.

Overall, I was happy with the outcome. I was a little surprised that was all it took...but I really enjoyed reading Lucas and Justin. I do think they're a forever couple. I wasn't left with as much questions as with book #1. I'm definitely reading the rest of this series, hope for more merman tales and maybe some books starring Atlantean gods. Can't wait to see which other gods are waking from their slumber.

Recommended for mermen fans, those who don't mind reading the beginning and journey of falling in love and mythology tinged fantasy romances!


P.S. Job well done on getting the cover to match a main character's description. It's pretty much how imagined Lucas!

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